How to Deep Fry a Turkey

Posted on June 8th, 2009 by Elaine

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading ...

No Comments (Post Comment)

Republish

Serving turkey during Thanksgiving is traditional, but if you don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, one delicious alternative is to cook the turkey by deep frying it. It’s less time-consuming, but it will give you a delightful treat to serve to everyone. Here’s how to deep fry turkey.

What You’ll Need:

Cayenne pepper rub
Marinade
Marinade injector
140 liter cooking pot (70 pints)
Deep frying basket
Gas burner
Bottle of gas
25 liters of vegetable or peanut oil
Temperature gauge
1 meter of clean wire for wrapping the poultry
A metal hook or handle
Apron and protective jacket, preferably long-sleeved
Protective gloves
Pliers
Meat thermometer

Procedure:

Purchase a fresh turkey from the grocery. Make sure you know how much it weighs before you buy it.
Using an injector (a mechanism that looks like a hypodermic needle), inject the bird with the marinade of your choice. Fill the syringe, then transfer the marinade to the thighs, legs, and breasts of the chicken, moving the needle around. Injecting the bird with marinade gives you a more moist outcome.
Season the turkey with some cayenne pepper rub. You can use other rubs if you like, depending on your preference. Sprinkle the pepper all over the bird, rubbing in as you go. Turn it, making it lie on its side, then sprinkle more pepper, Do this for the underside and the other body parts, until the whole turkey is rubbed and well-covered.
If you have a deep frying basket, you can skip this step completely. Make the turkey lie on its shoulder then spear a wire through it, by the wings and under the breasts. Pull the wire through as carefully as you could, so as not to rip the meat. Loop the wire three times, making a metal handle, then twist the ends so there are no sharp ends. Check if the handle is secure by trying to lift the turkey. If not, do a couple more loops.
Get the burner ready. You’ll need to do this in an outdoor area that’s safe and well-ventilated. Put the burner down on a level, grassy surface, making sure the fryer doesn’t tip over. Position the propane tank so it’s far away from the fryer and flammable objects as much as possible
Take note of the oil level you need. Put the turkey in the pot, then put in water to cover it. Remove the turkey, and make the water level. Remove the turkey, and dry it thoroughly. Empty and dry the pot thoroughly, too.
Pour oil in the pot, to the level you need. Then, light the burner to the high setting, positioning the pot over it carefully. Put the thermometer in the oil, and wait for it to heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure you’re wearing your gloves, apron and protective jacket. A pair of safety goggles is also helpful in keeping oil from hurting your eyes.
Lower the turkey carefully in the oil, holding it by the metal handle. Be prepared for a little splattering when the turkey touches the oil. One trick is to turn off the burner while you’re submerging the turkey, then turn it on when the turkey’s in the pot safely.
The cooking time for a turkey depends on how much it weighs. The rule is to allot five minutes for every 5 pounds or 300 grams of turkey. To monitor the temperature, leave a thermometer in the oil, hanging it using wire. Don’t leave the pot unattended, though.
Halfway through the cooking, lift the turkey up again briefly, to check on it. Lower it in the pot again. If needed, adjust the burner to turn the heat down.
When the turkey floats to the oil surface, let it cook for fifteen more minutes. Afterwards, remove the turkey from the pot carefully,m shaking it a bit to remove the excess oil. Put it in a platter. Turn the burner off, and let the oil cool. Make sure no one goes near it, though.
Remove the wire, then serve the turkey.

Instead of serving roasted turkey this Thanksgiving, try deep-fried turkey instead. It’s just as delicious, and as long as you’re careful, preparing it won’t be much of a hassle.